* improved appended firmware detection [devinacker]
* added dynamic rate control support to ALSA and PulseAudio drivers [RedDwarf]
* added option to use native file dialogs
Keep focus on the panel list when changing settings / tools panels.
Fixed Windows combo box flickering when changing panels.
Suppress Alt+F4 on Windows in fullscreen mode.
byuu says:
- bsnes: added video filters from bsnes v082
- bsnes: added ZSNES snow effect option when games paused or unloaded
(no, I'm not joking)
- bsnes: added 7-zip support (LZMA 19.00 SDK)
[Recent higan WIPs have also mentioned bsnes changes, although the higan code
no longer includes the bsnes code. These changes include:
- higan, bsnes: added EXLOROM, EXLOROM-RAM, EXHIROM mappings
- higan, bsnes: focus the viewport after leaving fullscreen exclusive
mode
- bsnes: re-added mightymo's cheat code database
- bsnes: improved make install rules for the game and cheat code
databases
- bsnes: delayed construction of hiro::Window objects to properly show
bsnes window icons
- Ed.]
byuu says:
The main thing I worked on today was emulating the MBC7 EEPROM.
And... I have many things to say about that, but not here, and not now...
The missing EEPROM support is why the accelerometer was broken. Although
it's not evidently clear that I'm emulating the actual values
incorrectly. I'll think about it and get it fixed, though.
bsnes went from ~308fps to ~328fps, and I don't even know why. Probably
something somewhere in the 140KB of changes to other things made in this
WIP.
byuu says:
Everything *should* be working again, but of course that won't
actually be the case. Here's where things stand:
- bsnes, higan, icarus, and genius compile and run fine on FreeBSD
with GTK
- ruby video and audio drivers are untested on Windows, macOS, and
Linux
- hiro is untested on macOS
- bsnes' status bar is not showing up properly with hiro/qt
- bsnes and higan's about screen is not showing up properly with
hiro/qt (1x1 window size)
- bsnes on Windows crashes often when saving states, and I'm not sure
why ... it happens inside Encode::RLE
- bsnes on Windows crashes with ruby.input.windows (unsure why)
- bsnes on Windows fails to show the verified emblem on the status bar
properly
- hiro on Windows flickers when changing tabs
To build the Windows bsnes and higan ports, use
ruby="video.gdi audio.directsound"
Compilation error logs for Linux will help me fix the inevitable list of
typos there. I can fix the typos on other platforms, I just haven't
gotten to it yet.
byuu wrote:
Sigh ...
asio.hpp needs #include <nall/windows/registry.hpp>
[Since the last WIP, byuu also posted the following message. -Ed.]
ruby drivers have all been updated (but not tested outside of BSD), and
I redesigned the settings window. The driver functionality all exists on
a new "Drivers" panel, the emulator/hack settings go to a
"Configuration" panel, and the video/audio panels lose driver settings.
As does the settings menu and its synchronize options.
I want to start pushing toward a v107 release. Critically, I will need
DirectSound and ALSA to support dynamic rate control. I'd also like to
eliminate the other system manifest.bml files. I need to update the
cheat code database format, and bundle at least a few quark shaders --
although I still need to default to Direct3D on Windows.
Turbo keys would be nice, if it's not too much effort. Aside from
netplay, it's the last significant feature I'm missing.
I think for v107, higan is going to be a bit rough around the edges
compared to bsnes. And I don't think it's practical to finish the bsnes
localization support.
I'm thinking we probably want another WIP to iron out any critical
issues, but this time there should be a feature freeze with the next
WIP.
byuu says:
Changelog:
- ruby/audio/xaudio2: ported to new ruby API
- ruby/video/cgl: ported to new ruby API (untested, won't compile)
- ruby/video/directdraw: ported to new ruby API
- ruby/video/gdi: ported to new ruby API
- ruby/video/glx: ported to new ruby API
- ruby/video/wgl: ported to new ruby API
- ruby/video/opengl: code cleanups
The macOS CGL driver is sure to have compilation errors. If someone will
post the compilation error log, I can hopefully fix it in one or two
iterations of WIPs.
I am unable to test the Xorg GLX driver, because my FreeBSD desktop
video card drivers do not support OpenGL 3.2. If the driver doesn't
work, I'm going to need help tracking down what broke from the older
releases.
The real fun is still yet to come ... all the Linux-only drivers, where
I don't have a single Linux machine to test with.
Todo:
- libco/fiber
- libco/ucontext (I should really just delete this)
- tomoko: hide main UI window when in exclusive fullscreen mode
byuu says:
Changelog:
- ruby/video: cleaned up Direct3D9 driver and fixed catastrophic
memory leak
- ruby/video: added fullscreen exclusive mode support to the Direct3D9
driver¹
- ruby/video: minor cosmetic code cleanups to various drivers
- tomoko: added support to always allow input when in fullscreen
exclusive mode
- tomoko: fixed window to not remove resizability flag when exiting
fullscreen mode
¹: I am assuming that exclusive mode will try to capture the primary
monitor. I don't know what will happen in multi-monitor setups, however,
as I don't use such a setup here.
Also, I am using `D3DPRESENT_DISCARD` instead of `D3DPRESENT_FLIP`. I'm
not sure if this will prove better or worse, but I've heard it will
waste less memory, and having a BackBufferCount of 1 should still result
in page flipping anyway. The difference is supposedly just that you
can't rely on the back buffer being a valid copy of the previous frame
like you can with FLIP.
Lastly, if you want Vsync, you can edit the configuration file to enable
that, and then turn off audio sync.
Errata: "pause emulation when focus is lost" is not working with
exclusive mode. I need to add a check to never auto-pause when in
exclusive mode. Thanks to bun for catching that one.
byuu says:
Note: add `#undef OUT` to the top of higan/gba/ppu/ppu.hpp to compile on
Windows (ugh ...) Now to await posts about this in four more threads
again ;)
Changelog:
- GBA: rewrote PPU from a scanline-based renderer to a pixel-based
renderer
- ruby: fixed video/gdi bugs
Note that there's an approximately 21% speed penalty compared to v102r18
for the pixel-based renderer.
Also, horizontal mosaic effects are not yet implemented. But they should
be prior to v103. This one is a little tricky as it currently works on
fully rendered scanlines. I need to roll the mosaic into the background
renderers, and then for sprites, well ... see below.
The trickiest part by far of this new renderer is the object (sprite)
system. Unlike every other system I emulate, the GBA supports affine
rendering of its sprites. Or in other words, rotation effects. And it
also has a very complex priority system.
Right now, I can't see any way that the GBA PPU could render pixels in
real-time like this. My belief is that there's a 240-entry buffer that
fills up the next scanline's row of pixels. Which means it probably also
runs on the last scanline of Vblank so that the first scanline has
sprite data.
However, I didn't design my object renderer like this just yet. For now,
it creates a buffer of all 240 pixels right away at the start of the
scanline. I know\!\! That's technically scanline-based. But it's only
for fetching object tiledata, and it's only temporary.
What needs to happen is I need a way to run something like a "mini libco
thread" inside of the main thread, so that the object renderer can run
in parallel with the rest of the PPU, yet not be a hideous abomination
of a state machine, yet also not be horrendously slow as a full libco
thread would be.
I'm envisioning some kind of stackless yielding coroutine. But I'll need
to think through how to design that, given the absence of coroutines
even in C++17.
byuu says:
This WIP fixes all the critical pending issues I had open. I'm sure
there's many more that simply didn't make their way into said list. So
by all means, please report important issues you're aware of so they can
get fixed.
Changelog:
- ruby: add variable texture support to GDI video driver [bug
reported by Cydrak]
- ruby: minor cleanups to XShm video driver
- ruby: fix handling of up+down, left+right hat cases for XInput
driver [bug reported by Cydrak]
- nall: fixed vector class so that compilation with GCC 7.1 should
succeed [SuperMikeMan]
- sfc: initialize most DSP registers to random values to fix Magical
Drop [Jonas Quinn]
- sfc: lower PPU brightness when luma=0 from 50% scale to 25% scale;
helps scenes like Final Fantasy III's intro
byuu says:
This WIP substantially restructures the ruby API for the first time
since that project started.
It is my hope that with this restructuring, destruction of the ruby
objects should now be deterministic, which should fix the crashing on
closing the emulator on Linux. We'll see I guess ... either way, it
removed two layers of wrappers from ruby, so it's a pretty nice code
cleanup.
It won't compile on Windows due to a few issues I didn't see until
uploading the WIP, too lazy to upload another. But I fixed all the
compilation issues locally, so it'll work on Windows again with the next
WIP (unless I break something else.)
(Kind of annoying that Linux defines glActiveTexture but Windows
doesn't.)
byuu says:
Finally!! Compilation works once again on Windows.
However, it's pretty buggy. Modality isn't really working right, you can
still poke at other windows, but when you select ListView items, they
redraw as empty boxes (need to process WM_DRAWITEM before checking
modality.)
The program crashes when you close it (probably a ruby driver's term()
function, that's what it usually is.)
The Layout::setEnabled(false) call isn't working right, so you get that
annoying chiming sound and cursor movement when mapping keyboard keys to
game inputs.
The column sizing seems off a bit on first display for the Hotkeys tab.
And probably lots more.
byuu says:
Changelog:
- added Cocoa target: higan can now be compiled for OS X Lion
[Cydrak, byuu]
- SNES/accuracy profile hires color blending improvements - fixes
Marvelous text [AWJ]
- fixed a slight bug in SNES/SA-1 VBR support caused by a typo
- added support for multi-pass shaders that can load external textures
(requires OpenGL 3.2+)
- added game library path (used by ananke->Import Game) to
Settings->Advanced
- system profiles, shaders and cheats database can be stored in "all
users" shared folders now (eg /usr/share on Linux)
- all configuration files are in BML format now, instead of XML (much
easier to read and edit this way)
- main window supports drag-and-drop of game folders (but not game files
/ ZIP archives)
- audio buffer clears when entering a modal loop on Windows (prevents
audio repetition with DirectSound driver)
- a substantial amount of code clean-up (probably the biggest
refactoring to date)
One highly desired target for this release was to default to the optimal
drivers instead of the safest drivers, but because AMD drivers don't
seem to like my OpenGL 3.2 driver, I've decided to postpone that. AMD
has too big a market share. Hopefully with v093 officially released, we
can get some public input on what AMD doesn't like.
byuu describes the changes since v067:
This release officially introduces the accuracy and performance cores,
alongside the previously-existing compatibility core. The accuracy core
allows the most accurate SNES emulation ever seen, with every last
processor running at the lowest possible clock synchronization level.
The performance core allows slower computers the chance to finally use
bsnes. It is capable of attaining 60fps in standard games even on an
entry-level Intel Atom processor, commonly found in netbooks.
The accuracy core is absolutely not meant for casual gaming at all. It
is meant solely for getting as close to 100% perfection as possible, no
matter the cost to speed. It should only be used for testing,
development or debugging.
The compatibility core is identical to bsnes v067 and earlier, but is
now roughly 10% faster. This is the default and recommended core for
casual gaming.
The performance core contains an entirely new S-CPU core, with
range-tested IRQs; and uses blargg's heavily-optimized S-DSP core
directly. Although there are very minor accuracy tradeoffs to increase
speed, I am confident that the performance core is still more accurate
and compatible than any other SNES emulator. The S-CPU, S-SMP, S-DSP,
SuperFX and SA-1 processors are all clock-based, just as in the accuracy
and compatibility cores; and as always, there are zero game-specific
hacks. Its compatibility is still well above 99%, running even the most
challenging games flawlessly.
If you have held off from using bsnes in the past due to its system
requirements, please give the performance core a try. I think you will
be impressed. I'm also not finished: I believe performance can be
increased even further.
I would also strongly suggest Windows Vista and Windows 7 users to take
advantage of the new XAudio2 driver by OV2. Not only does it give you
a performance boost, it also lowers latency and provides better sound by
way of skipping an API emulation layer.
Changelog:
- Split core into three profiles: accuracy, compatibility and
performance
- Accuracy core now takes advantage of variable-bitlength integers (eg
uint24_t)
- Performance core uses a new S-CPU core, written from scratch for speed
- Performance core uses blargg's snes_dsp library for S-DSP emulation
- Binaries are now compiled using GCC 4.5
- Added a workaround in the SA-1 core for a bug in GCC 4.5+
- The clock-based S-PPU renderer has greatly improved OAM emulation;
fixing Winter Gold and Megalomania rendering issues
- Corrected pseudo-hires color math in the clock-based S-PPU renderer;
fixing Super Buster Bros backgrounds
- Fixed a clamping bug in the Cx4 16-bit triangle operation [Jonas
Quinn]; fixing Mega Man X2 "gained weapon" star background effect
- Updated video renderer to properly handle mixed-resolution screens
with interlace enabled; fixing Air Strike Patrol level briefing screen
- Added mightymo's 2010-08-19 cheat code pack
- Windows port: added XAudio2 output support [OV2]
- Source: major code restructuring; virtual base classes for processor
- cores removed, build system heavily modified, etc.
byuu